A Well-Deserved Reputation

The longest-running Congress in Palliative Care and the leading event in the field since 1976.

A unique opportunity to meet, share experiences and exchange ideas with colleagues from 60 countries, representing all disciplines – nurses, physicians, social workers, physical and occupational therapists, music therapists, pharmacists, psychologists, pastoral care providers, administrators, volunteers...

In-depth workshops and seminars covering all aspects of end-of-life care, from the most current scientific developments in pain and symptom control to the large existential questions, to hands-on experiential sessions addressing practical issues faced every day.

Renowned speakers that deepen your understanding, and inspire you to renew your commitment to palliative care.

All session structured to allow ample time for dialogue, questions and thoughtful interaction.

The Organizers



The 22nd International Congress on Palliative Care is presented by:

Palliative Care McGill (PCM) has been at the fore of advances in palliative care: integrating PC into health care systems; developing the McGill Quality of Life questionnaire; promoting a whole-person approach to care; pioneering undergraduate and postgraduate training in palliative medicine; developing new ways to manage pain and other symptoms; and hosting the International Congress on Palliative Care. Today, under the direction of Dr. Bernard Lapointe, PCM continues to develop as an exceptional academic program and unique network of PC services.

In collaboration with:


Specialists in conference, exhibit and special event management since 1991, O’Donoughue & Associates Event Management Ltd. is recognized in the industry as one of the leading event management companies in Québec. The company handles everything from planning to on-site management. Over the past twenty six years, the company has grown steadily, organizing hundreds of events, from small personalized meetings to large-scale international conferences, as well as festivals and concerts; and in doing so has acquired a reputation for excellence. Since 2005, O’Donoughue has been organizing the International Congress on Palliative Care.

Executive Committee

Bernard J. Lapointe, Congress Chair

Eric M. Flanders Chair in Palliative Medicine; Director, Palliative Care McGill, McGill University; Chief, The Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Division of Palliative Care, Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Vasiliki (Bessy) Bitzas

Head Nurse, Palliative Care, Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Linda Crelinsten

The Council on Palliative Care, Montréal, QC, Canada

Kappy Flanders

Past Co-Chair, The Council on Palliative Care, Montréal, QC, Canada

Mary Ellen Macdonald

Associate Professor, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

Christopher MacKinnon

Psychologist; Faculty lecturer, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

Suzanne O'Brien

Executive Director, Hope & Cope, Montréal, QC, Canada

April O’Donoughue

President, O’Donoughue & Associates Event Management Ltd., Montréal, QC, Canada

Devon Phillips

Program Advisor, Palliative Care McGill, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

David Kenneth Wright

Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, and Co-Director, Nursing Palliative Care Research & Education Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Programme Committee

Carla Alexander

University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA

Hitesh Bhanabhai

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Maryse Bouvette

Bruyère Continuing Care, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Shirley Bush

Bruyère Continuing Care, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Harvey Chang

Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Robin Cohen

McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

Justine De Monteiro

Mount Sinai Hospital Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Rose DeAngelis

West Island Palliative Care Residence, Kirkland, QC, Canada

Teresa Dellar

West Island Palliative Care Residence, Kirkland, QC, Canada

Dominique Dion

Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosement, Montréal, QC, Canada

James Downar

University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Justine Farley

Palliative Care Physician, Montréal, QC, Canada

Zelda Freitas

CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Ile-de-Montréal, Côte Saint-Luc, QC, Canada

Hinda Goodman

Hope & Cope, Montréal, QC, Canada

Jeffery Hall

Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Marc Hamel

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Leonie Herx

University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

Cory Ingram

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

R. Sean Morrison

Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Elena Neamt

West Island Palliative Care Residence, Kirkland, QC, Canada

Andrée Néron

Hôpital Notre-Dame, Montréal, QC, Canada

Zeev Rosberger

Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Deborah Salmon

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Hal Siden

Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Antonio Vigano

McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC, Canada

Anna Voeuk

University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Jean Zigby

Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada











Senior Advisory Committee

Sharon Baxter

Executive Director, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Ann Berger

Chief, Pain and Palliative Care, The National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA

Myra Bluebond-Langner

Professor, True Colours Chair in Palliative Care for Children and Young People, University College London, Institute of Child Health, London, UK

Gian Borasio

Chair in Palliative Medicine, Service de soins palliatifs, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland

Ira Byock

Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Providence Institute for Human Caring, Torrance, CA, USA

Susan Cadell

Director, School of Social Work, Renison University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

Tanguy Châtel

Sociologist, Volunteer in Palliative Care, Société française d’accompagnement et de soins palliatifs, La Celle Saint-Cloud, Yvelines, France

Harvey Max Chochinov

Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Shelly Cory

Executive Director, Canadian Virtual Hospice, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Betty Davies

Adjunct Professor and Senior Scholar, School of Nursing, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

Mellar Davis

Professor of Medicine, Director of Palliative Care, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA, USA

Liliana de Lima

Executive Director, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, Houston, TX, USA

Johanne De Montigny

Psychologist, Montréal, QC, Canada

Luce Des Aulniers

Anthropologist, Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

Deborah Dudgeon

Senior Scientific Leader, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, Kingston, ON, Canada

Betty Ferrell

Professor and Director, Nursing Research and Education, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA

Jean-Marie Gomas

Head of the Palliative Care Unit, Hôpital Sainte Perine, Paris, France

Stein Husebø

Leading Consultant, National Dignity Center, Care for the Frail Old, Bergen, Norway

Tom Hutchinson

Professor, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

Stephen Liben

Palliative Care Program, The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montréal, QC, Canada

Mary Lynn McPherson

Professor and Executive Director, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD, USA

Balfour Mount

Professor Emeritus in Palliative Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada

David Praill

Chair, ehospice; Past Chair, Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, London, UK

Gary Rodin

Head, Supportive Care, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

Ros Taylor

Clinical Director, Hospice UK, London, UK

Anna Towers

Physician, Supportive & Palliative Care, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada



Special feature

Official Territorial Acknowledgement & Welcome



The 22nd International Congress and McGill University recognize that we are meeting on Indigenous land. Montréal sits on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka (People of the Flint), also known as the Mohawk. The island called “Montreal” (Tiotia:ke in the language of the Kanien’kehá:ka) has historically been a meeting place for other Indigenous nations, including the Algonquin people.

The Significance of Acknowledging Traditional Territory: A connection to the land is inextricably linked to Indigenous identity. For many Indigenous peoples in Canada, and increasingly in broader Canadian society, traditional territory acknowledgements are an important cultural protocol practiced at important events as a way to acknowledge and honour Indigenous peoples’ connections to their ancestral lands.

Therefore, the Congress Opening Plenary will begin with a territorial acknowledgement. This acknowledgement aims to show recognition of and respect for Indigenous Peoples – of their presence both in the past and the present. It is a part of establishing healthy relations with Indigenous communities, a key to reconciliation, a process to which the Congress is committed.



Congress Logo: The Hummingbird

The hummingbird has, in Native American traditions, represented a messenger between worlds, helping to maintain balance between nature and spirit.

This tiny bird appears in Native lore as a creature that opens the heart and teaches us to appreciate the magic of being alive. The hummingbird helps us awaken to the beauty of the present moment.